project_nuzlockedexfandomcom-20200214-history
Ponyta Line/DPPt
Ponyta is available on Routes 206 and 210 in all three games. In Diamond and Pearl, it can also be found on Routes 211, 214 and 215, while in Platinum it is also found on Route 207. Literally the only Fire-type any player will ever see in any Diamond or Pearl nuzlocke in which Chimchar was not picked. Due to this fact and its commonness, many of the non-Platinum Sinnoh nuzlockers will sport a Ponyta in their team at some point during the game, if not up until the end. While its early availability may be a great turn-off due to the lateness of its evolution, Ponyta actually has a very high base stat total for an unevolved Pokémon; it is, in fact, higher than the likes of Beautifly and Dustox. Its stats are solid and it hits quite hard, as well as evolving at just about the right time to not be significantly underpowered at any point in the game. While Rapidash may not be the best of Pokémon, nor does it have the best of movepools (quite the contrary, as a matter of fact: it is the quintessential one-trick pony), it is certainly a good choice, and an interesting team member to have; the substantial lack of Water-, Rock- and Ground-types throughout the region - notably even in the gym and evil team battles, with few exceptions - makes Fire look a lot more appealing than it would be in other regions. Important Matchups - Platinum = * Gym #1 - Roark (Oreburgh City, Rock-type): Ponyta's matchup in this gym is just plain bad, for reasons that should be obvious. Do not use it. * Mars (Valley Windworks): Zubat gets 2HKOed by Flame Wheel. Purugly's Fake Out and higher Speed give it the upper hand, as Flame Wheel does outdamage Purugly's moves, but only slightly and both moves result in a 4HKO either way. Ponyta can win, but will need to be healed at least once to do so. * Gym #2 - Gardenia (Eterna City, Grass-type): All of Gardenia's team can be 2HKOed by Ponyta's Flame Wheel. The only way to prevent 2HKOs on Gardenia's end is for Turtwig to put up Reflect; if this happens, Ponyta should stall until either Reflect goes down, or Turtwig uses Sunny Day: if the sun is up, Flame Wheel will 2HKO even with Reflect. * Jupiter (Galactic Eterna Building): Zubat is 2HKOed by Flame Wheel again, but Ponyta is at a decisive disadvantage against Skuntank: its Night Slash is a near-certain 2HKO, which means a critical hit will OHKO. Although Ponyta's Flame Wheel has decent damage output, it still results in a 4HKO and at best, Ponyta can hope to chip away some of Skuntank's health before withdrawing; it will not be able to finish it off, unless Flame Wheel somehow scores the burn: critical hits will not ignore the 50% Attack reduction induced by it. * Gym #3 - Fantina (Hearthome City, Ghost-type): Duskull is 3HKOed by Flame Wheel, and Haunter is 2HKOed by it. Neither of them has moves that Ponyta is particularly afraid of; Haunter's Shadow Claw is only a 4HKO without critical hits. Its Hypnosis and Confuse Ray may prove more annoying, but Ponyta should outspeed unless its nature is detrimental to the Speed stat, so the status conditions can be healed as necessary. Mismagius, instead, 2HKOs Ponyta flat with Shadow Ball, and it should be avoided. * Rival (Hearthome City): Ponyta can 3HKO Staravia with Flame Wheel even after Intimidate, unless Staravia starts playing evasion games with Double Team; however, it is advised that Ponyta be switched out of Intimidate before continuing the fight: Intimidate prevents it from OHKOing Roselia and 2HKOing Grotle (though the 2HKO is, in this case, only a possibility even without Intimidate, not a certainty). It will also make the matchup against Ponyta or Monferno less favourable; a Ponyta without Intimidate can 3HKO the rival's Ponyta and 4HKO Monferno with Stomp, though Monferno's Mach Punch will make it need some healing. If Ponyta is still healthy by the time Buizel comes, it can also 3HKO it with Stomp before Buizel does so with Water Gun. The only Pokémon Ponyta should stay away from at all costs is Prinplup. * Gym #4 - Maylene (Veilstone City, Fighting-type): Ponyta needs either Flamethrower or Fire Blast to work well in this gym; if packing Fire Blast, it is also wise to purchase a Wide Lens from the Game Corner, to improve the move's accuracy. Meditite can be 2HKOed by Flamethrower, whereas Fire Blast has an OHKO chance, but a low one. Machoke can only be 2HKOed by Fire Blast if Ponyta is to win the matchup; its Rock Tomb is close to a 2HKO, and Machoke may outspeed Ponyta on the second turn, due to the Speed drop. This will also work only if Fire Blast does not burn it, or its Guts ability will activate and turn Rock Tomb into a definite 2HKO. Fighting Lucario is a risk in and of itself: although much like Meditite, it can be either 2HKOed by Flamethrower or OHKOed by Fire Blast on a lucky damage roll, its Bone Rush is guaranteed to kill Ponyta from full health with four or more hits. Lucario's Speed is also the same as Ponyta, so a Ponyta with a nature that subtracts from its Speed stat should not fight it. * Rival (Pastoria City): Since Ponyta's main STAB is now special, Staravia's Intimidate is less of a problem. Flamethrower and Fire Blast both 2HKO it; Roselia is OHKOed only by Fire Blast, but cannot damage Ponyta much with Magical Leaf even if Flamethrower is used, whereas Grotle is normally a 2HKO with each move but Fire Blast has a chance of netting the OHKO. Ponyta still needs to switch out of Staravia's Intimidate to fight Ponyta or Monferno, as it will otherwise be outdamaged by their Stomp and Mach Punch respectively. It needs to avoid Buizel and Prinplup, due to their Water STABs (Buizel's got upgraded to Aqua Jet). * Gym #5 - Crasher Wake (Pastoria City, Water-type): Ponyta has no way of winning against Gyarados. It can, however, set up Sunny Day against Quagsire, and then shoot a SolarBeam, which will OHKO it. If Sunny Day has at least two turns left by the time Floatzel enters the battlefield, Ponyta can also 2HKO Floatzel with SolarBeam, as all of its moves are at best 3HKOs; however, if the sun goes down at any given point, it will finish off Ponyta with Aqua Jet, or with Brine if its health is below half, no matter the weather condition. * Cyrus (Celestic Town): Sneasel is OHKOed by Fire Blast but not Flamethrower, whereas Golbat may be 3HKOed by either move. Both of Ponyta's STABs can 2HKO Murkrow, but Murkrow also 2HKOs with Drill Peck, so Ponyta with a Speed-lowering nature and/or that have been damaged by Cyrus' previous Pokémon should either be healed beforehand, or switch out. * Rival (Canalave City): If Ponyta has not evolved yet, it can 2HKO Roserade or Torterra with either Flamethrower or Fire Blast without risks. Heracross is 2HKOed by both, but can deal up to around three quarters with Brick Break, so only a healthy Ponyta should fight it. The other Pokémon are all fully evolved, and too strong for a Ponyta to take on. If it has already evolved into Rapidash, instead, it will have a better matchup against all of the aforementioned Pokémon, against which Fire Blast has an OHKO chance (guaranteed against Roserade), and it will also 2HKO Staraptor with either Fire STAB without problems. Rapidash can also win the mirror match against the rival's Rapidash if it has Strength or Poison Jab, and it can 2HKO Floatzel with Megahorn if still healthy, otherwise Aqua Jet will 3HKO; it needs to avoid Infernape and Empoleon, however, due to their higher damage throughput. * Gym #6 - Byron (Canalave City, Steel-type): Rapidash OHKOs Magneton with either Flamethrower or Fire Blast, though Flamethrower might not net a guaranteed OHKO against Steelix, depending on Rapidash's Special Attack. If it does not happen, at any rate, Rapidash can take an Earthquake from Steelix so long as it is not a critical hit. Bastiodon is at best 3HKOed but has Metal Burst and Stone Edge, so Rapidash should not fight it. * Saturn (Lake Valor): Golbat is best 2HKOed by Fire Blast, as the Flamethrower 3HKO would leave Rapidash open for Toxic and Supersonic shenanigans. Bronzor is 1-2HKOed easily, depending on Rapidash's stats and the move used (Fire Blast always OHKOs). Toxicroak should be fought at 80% of Rapidash's health or above, as it can chip away about as much with Revenge and only Fire Blast can net the 2HKO. * Mars (Lake Verity): 2HKO the Golbat with Fire Blast; any Fire STAB will do against Bronzor. Purugly is also 2-3HKOed by Flamethrower or 2HKOed by Fire Blast. * Gym #7 - Candice (Snowpoint City, Ice-type): While Fire Blast OHKOs Piloswine, its accuracy is imperfect, and Earthquake can also OHKO Rapidash; if Rapidash must fight Piloswine alone, use the Wide Lens or the Charcoal + Flamethrower combination. Sneasel and Abomasnow are OHKOed by both moves, whereas Froslass is OHKOed only by Fire Blast; even the Charcoal is not enough to make Flamethrower an OHKO. Fire Blast is the best option against it, too, as it will otherwise start using Double Team and then spamming Shadow Ball. While Shadow Ball is a 3HKO normally, a Special Defense drop will make it into a 2HKO. * Cyrus (Galactic HQ): Sneasel is OHKOed by Fire Blast or Charcoal and Flamethrower. Crobat is likely to annoy Rapidash with Supersonic if it hits, as its Fire STAB can only 3HKO; Crobat's moves are not very strong, however, so Rapidash can still beat it if healed whenever needed. Honchkrow and Rapidash will both 2HKO each other with Drill Peck and Fire Blast respectively, but Rapidash will win only if Fire Blast never misses; the matchup is risky, and should be left to a physically sturdier Pokémon if available. * Saturn (Galactic HQ): Golbat is 2HKOed by Fire Blast, Bronzor can be taken down by either that or Flamethrower. Toxicroak is less dangerous now that its Brick Break replaced Revenge, and it can be either 3HKOed by Flamethrower - with a 2HKO chance if Rapidash holds the Charcoal - or 2HKOed by Fire Blast. * Mars and Jupiter (Spear Pillar, tag battle with rival): Rapidash is excellent to get rid of the two Bronzor annoyances in front; while it cannot kill both in one go, Fire Blast is an OHKO against them, so either one will fall. Mars' Bronzor, the one on the left, has Light Screen, whereas Jupiter's on the right has Reflect; which one is defeated first should depend on which screen move the team dislikes the least. Rapidash can also take on the Golbat and 2HKO them with Fire Blast, or near-certainly 2HKO with Charcoal + Flamethrower; this, however, is only possible if Light Screen is not (or no longer) up. Purugly is 2HKOed the same way and can at worst 3HKO back, whereas Skuntank is 3HKOed by both moves on average, and only a Charcoal-supported Fire Blast - imprecise at best - can net a certain 2HKO against its rather frightening 3HKO Poison Jab, dangerously close to a 2HKO. It is preferred to take down all of Mars' Pokémon before moving on to Jupiter's; this should leave Jupiter's end of the battlefield alone, by the time Purugly is finished off, making Rapidash's job much easier. Watch out for Rapidash's health levels and remember that this is a double battle: what takes three hits in a single battle may require two, if the enemy Pokémon gang up on Rapidash. * Cyrus (Distortion World): Houndoom is 2HKOed by Megahorn and can only 3HKO with Dark Pulse; the matchup can be won even in the event of one Megahorn miss. On the other hand, Honchkrow is 2HKOed by Fire Blast but can 2HKO back with Drill Peck, so a miss will cost Rapidash its life. Crobat is only a 3HKO, and harder to get past than it used to be, due to its newly acquired Confuse Ray; Rapidash should fight it with caution, and be healed as often as needed, especially as its Cross Poison has a higher than normal critical hit ratio and it can poison as well. Weavile has a low 2HKO chance with Night Slash and Rapidash can Megahorn or Fire Blast it into oblivion, but once again, the OHKO is highly unlikely unless Rapidash is sporting a Charcoal, and Weavile also has Fake Out to start off with. Gyarados is likely Rapidash's worst possible enemy, do not let the unicorn anywhere near it. * Giratina (Distortion World): No. Do not think about it, do not do it, just... do not. * Gym #8 - Volkner (Sunyshore City, Electric-type): Rapidash's best option against half of Volkner's team is ironically Megahorn, which 2HKOs Raichu and Jolteon. A Wide Lens is strongly recommended, as Rapidash will not want Megahorn to miss, particularly against the lead: Jolteon's Charge Beam can take up to around 60% of Rapidash's health in two hits, if the first hit boosts Jolteon's Special Attack. Luxray can be 2HKOed by Fire Blast, but the chances of it happening depend on Rapidash's Special Attack; either way, Rapidash can take two Thunder Fangs if its health is full. Rapidash cannot win against Electivire, instead, whose ThunderPunch is too powerful for Rapidash's STAB to outdamage. * Rival (Pokémon League): Fire Blast 2HKOs both Staraptor and Heracross, though Rapidash can only take one of their Close Combat, so it will not be able to fight both unless healed right after Heracross enters the battlefield; if it does use Close Combat, Fire Blast will OHKO the following turn, but a miss or a critical hit will also cost Rapidash its life. Fire Blast also has an OHKO chance against Roserade which, even if not OHKOed, can only 3HKO with Poison Jab; on the other hand, Torterra can take a Fire Blast and OHKO with Earthquake, so it should not be fought. Rapidash also cannot win against Infernape and Snorlax, both of which take multiple hits from it and can 2HKO with Focus Blast and Earthquake. Ironically, Rapidash can win against the resident Water-type by using Sunny Day: it transforms both Floatzel's Aqua Jet and Empoleon's Brine into a 3HKO, and both can be 2HKOed respectively by SolarBeam and Fire Blast, though in the latter case misses will still expose Rapidash to an untimely death. Lastly, the mirror match against Rapidash is possible if Rapidash has Normal coverage or Poison Jab, even better if its ability is Flash Fire. * Elite Four Aaron (Pokémon League, Bug-type): There are two ways of winning against Aaron: one is simple Fire Blast spam, which will OHKO everything except Drapion (2HKOed), the other is Sunny Day on the first turn and then Flamethrower spam. Flare Blitz can be used too, but the recoil makes it an unfavourable option for a solo, as Rapidash's HP are rather low. Big or small, gotta roast 'em all. * Elite Four Bertha (Pokémon League, Ground-type): Since Rapidash can survive a hit from Whiscash, it can set up with Sunny Day and then OHKO Whiscash, Golem and Rhyperior with SolarBeam. Under the sun, Gliscor may be OHKOed by Fire Blast, though this is not guaranteed; even if it does not happen, a healthy Rapidash can survive an Earthquake from it, but a damaged one cannot. Hippowdon has OHKO chances with its own Earthquake and can survive a SolarBeam, so avoid it. * Elite Four Flint (Pokémon League, Fire-type): Houndoom can be 2HKOed by Megahorn. If Rapidash has Return, it can outdamage Flint's Rapidash and hope to beat Magmortar if still healthy, as Magmortar's Hyper Beam is a 2HKO, but Rapidash can outspeed and 3HKO and Hyper Beam requires a recharge turn. Flareon and Infernape will respectively deal far too much damage with Giga Impact and Earthquake, 2HKOing Rapidash before it can do much of anything; avoid them. * Elite Four Lucian (Pokémon League, Psychic-type): Mr. Mime, Espeon and Alakazam are OHKOed by Megahorn. The first two can only 3HKO with Psychic, though Alakazam has considerable chances of 2HKOing and may outspeed Rapidash, so equipping the Wide Lens is once again strongly recommended. Bronzong is 1-2HKOed by Flare Blitz, depending on Rapidash's stats; its Earthquake can deal considerable damage, however, upwards of 75%, so it should be taken on only by a Rapidash that either holds a Charcoal (which secures the OHKO, but hinders Rapidash against the pure Psychics which require Megahorn usage) or is fully healthy, and even at full health the Flare Blitz recoil may be a problem if Bronzong survives it just barely. Fighting against Gallade is ill-advised: Flare Blitz is only a 2HKO, its Stone Edge can almost kill, and even if it does not the recoil definitely will. * Champion Cynthia (Pokémon League): Sunny Day will guarantee Rapidash a 2HKO by Fire Blast against Spiritomb, which would otherwise be only 3HKOed; having the sun already up is advantageous against Togekiss, which can then be 2HKOed with one Fire Blast and one Flare Blitz, but does not make a difference against Lucario or Roserade, both of which would be OHKOed anyway (Lucario by both moves, Roserade only by Flare Blitz). Both Milotic and Garchomp are out of Rapidash's league, sun or not: Milotic foils any SolarBeam spamming plans with its Mirror Coat, and Garchomp simply destroys Rapidash with Earthquake. * Post-Game: Not a lot more, or a lot less, to do here than Rapidash always has. Access to Will-O-Wisp does make physical hitters a lot less threatening, at the very least, though however fairly reliable, Rapidash does remain the embodiment of a one-trick pony. }} Moves Ponyta's initial moveset consists of Tackle, Growl and Tail Whip. It will also have Ember in Platinum, which it learns at level 16 in Diamond and Pearl. In Platinum, Ponyta also gains access to Flame Wheel at level 15; this is a move it cannot learn in the other two games. The next in line is Stomp, at level 19 in all games, which is good and fairly powerful with Ponyta's high Attack for a base Pokémon; Fire Spin, much less useful, comes at level 25 in the first two games and level 24 in the third. Make the call whether to teach it Take Down at level 28 or not; while stronger than Stomp, it is less accurate and recoil damage needs to be taken into account, especially since this line's base HP stat is not high. It is usually wise to pick Strength over Take Down, as the power tradeoff is comparatively affordable, for the higher accuracy and lack of recoil. Ponyta then gets Agility at level 34 in the first two games, and level 33 in the third, though with how fast it is, Rapidash will very likely never need this move; it then learns the much more useful Fire Blast at level 38, or 37 in Platinum, though there is also the option of teaching this move via TM early, after getting to Veilstone City. After evolving into Rapidash, it will attempt to learn Fury Attack at level 40, which is beyond useless, then Bounce at level 48, or 47 in Platinum; Bounce itself is not bad, but usually outclassed by other coverage moves, as Flying has similar type effectiveness to the much better Fire STAB. Lastly, the amazing Flare Blitz finally comes around at level 58 in the first two games, and level 56 in the last. It is also worth noting that, through the Move Reminder, Rapidash can learn both Megahorn and Poison Jab, moves that it would normally learn at level 1. However, the latter is almost worthless when Rapidash has strong Fire STABs and Fairy-types do not exist yet. Via TM, the most noteworthy options are Flamethrower and Fire Blast, both of which are available in Veilstone City; Flare Blitz is far stronger, unless on Modest Rapidash, but it will also come much later down the road and either of these two moves will fill Rapidash in well until then. SolarBeam is a good option too, but needs the support of Sunny Day to work well. Will-O-Wisp would be great to have, but it is sadly a postgame move. As Rapidash's physical coverage via TM is not that great, the only real additional option it gets is Return, which Rapidash will not make much use of when Megahorn exists, though it does help against Flint. Rapidash's movepool is fairly barren, to the point where a sun-based set is essentially the only versatile enough option. Platinum tutors do not have much to add to this line. Heat Wave becomes an option, but that is it. Recommended moveset: Sunny Day, SolarBeam, Flamethrower / Flare Blitz, Megahorn Recommended Teammates * Grass-types: While uncommon, Grass-types are the best complement for Rapidash, since they deal super effective damage to all three of the types it is weak to and resist two of them. Platinum has a better Grass-type selection, but even in Diamond and Pearl, the easily obtainable starter does a good job. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Torterra, Carnivine, Leafeon (Platinum only), Tangrowth (Platinum only), Tropius (Platinum only) * Water-types: Water-types are second best to Grass to help Rapidash, and may even be run alongside Rapidash's Grass-type teammate, to create a Grass-Fire-Water core. Like many regions, Sinnoh is ripe with good Water-types to use, many of which are very strong. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Golduck, Floatzel, Gastrodon, Whiscash, Quagsire, Azumarill, Milotic, Vaporeon (Platinum only) * Physical tanks: Rapidash's special bulk is not bad, but its physical bulk is lacking. Sinnoh sports a great many strong physical hitters, which is why a proper physical tank is essential to keep the team in good shape. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Torterra, Whiscash, Bronzong (Levitate), Garchomp, Snorlax, Azumarill, Lickilicky (Platinum only), Umbreon (Platinum only), Leafeon (Platinum only), Tangrowth (Platinum only) Other Ponyta's stats Rapidash's stats * What Nature do I want? Natures such as Lonely and Naughty help with the physical offensive, while Mild and Rash help with the special one. Those that lower Defense in general are preferred, as Rapidash will not be fighting many physical hitters. Speed-lowering natures may not make a difference on many occasions, but they do tend to hinder it in the late game. * Which Ability do I want? Flash Fire, since Run Away does absolutely no good whatsoever. * At what point in the game should I be evolved? Waiting until around Byron is acceptable in all three games; Ponyta's base stat total is actually high for an unevolved Pokémon, and it can hold its own surprisingly well until then. In Platinum, however, it is a good idea to anticipate the evolution to sometime after Crasher Wake, to have better matchups in between. * How good is the Ponyta line in a Nuzlocke? Pretty good, as it finds itself in a region where there are not many Pokémon carrying STAB that is super effective against Fire. It evolves just about at the right time to keep up with the level curve - which is surprising, for such a late evolution - and remains solid throughout. Its main downside is having a barren movepool. * Weaknesses: Ground, Rock, Water * Resistances: Bug, Steel, Grass, Ice, Fire (Run Away) * Immunities: Fire (Flash Fire) * Neutralities: Normal, Fighting, Flying, Poison, Ghost, Electric, Psychic, Dragon, Dark Category:Diamond/Pearl/Platinum Category:List of Evolutionary Lines with Completed Analyses